Dangerous Method

Blu-ray

DVD

Movies about the process of psychotherapy have traditionally enjoyed a
certain degree of popularity. While it is true that such movies have the
tendency to be short of action with a perchance for the dialogue intensive, more
cerebral plots they do generate a certain appeal with the audience. Perhaps it’s
the forbidden feel on listing to the exceptionally intimate interaction between
the patient and therapist affording the viewer the guilty pleasure of breaking a
confidentiality vigorously protected by the fundamental tenants of our legal
system. It could also be the unwavering viewpoint of the inner workings of the
unknowable human mind that manifests such a string pull to the audience. Of
course it might be the more mundane and less scholarly desire for gossip
surpassing the eavesdropping that was all the rage back in the day of telephone
party lines. In any case people appear to enjoy listening in as a troubled
person recants the details of their most serious problems to a mental health
professional. This has been axiomatic for years providing some insight as to the
appreciation of such films as ‘The Three Faces of Eve’, and a personal Favorite
of mine, ‘Captain Newman M.D.’ these films may have more talk than action but
they are excellent examples of tautly written movies with a compelling story and
mesmerizing acting, Recently anther film has taken its place on the list this
genre has to offer, ‘A Dangerous Method.’ It is considerably more intense than
its predecessors in the psychotherapy genre most due to the greater degree of
latitude provided to modern films. This frankness in the presentation of the
clinical cases allows the filmmaker to enjoy a greater degree of latitude while
realistically probing the etiology and manifestation of such cases within the
clinical exploration if the of the problems discussed in the exploration of the
troubled mind under scrutiny. ‘A Dangerous Method’ takes the audience back in
time to the very origins of this profession specifically the disagreements that
resulting in the schism between the two founding fathers of psychotherapy,
Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender).

The film is set just prior to the events that precipitated the open
hostilities that would become the First World War. The premise may appear to be
the typical clash of the titans; a struggle for recognition fought between two
of the most ground breaking minds of their times but the screenplay by
Christopher Hampton based on the novel by John Kerr manages to transcend that
well used ploy to become a far greater analysis of that time period. The world
was about to reach a new milestone in its social maturity. Not only would the
nations wage war on an unprecedented scope but the very fabric of society was on
the dawn of radical change. Medical professionals were about to progress beyond
the care of the diseases and trauma of the flesh, they were about to tackle the
more insidious maladies that infect the innermost minds of man. This has a
certain wonderful irony fir the many loyal fans of the director David Cronenberg.
His career was largely built on as single precept; "It’s all about the Flesh".
His unique style frequent relied on the generation of terror through the
grotesque mangling of the flesh forcing a visceral reaction the audience
experiences as terror. While many horror flick directors employ the quick
visceral fright created by stage blood and copious quintiles of animal
intestines none to date have begun to approach the mastery and control affected
by Cronenberg. In this film he elaborates on a popular trope in his repertoire,
defining the intensity of the story through physical boundaries but then
steadily escalating the emotional pitch by expertly twisting the viewer’s
psychological perception. This is a notable departure from Cronenberg’s typical
faire but a filmmaker of this statue needs to stretch himself artistically in
order to maintain his artistic edge.

In this sort of movie it is not unusual to interject a feminine influence
between the two opposing power male leads. A notable change in this motif is to
make the female character a strongly independent woman with the potential to
stand toe to toe with the aggressive men. In the case here the women in question
was Sabina Spielrein played by an actress who has become synonymous with
incredibly strong willed and self determined women. Whether Knightly is
portraying an Edwardian woman fighting for social parity or an adventurous
pirate queen she brings an undisputable strength and emotional integrity to her
role. Here she plays a young woman who starts out as one of the early patients
of the field to becoming a physician and one of the first female psychoanalysts.
The arc described by the personal relationship between Spielrein and Jung ran
the gamut from patient, student, lover and eventually respected colleague. She
also was the ideal historical bridge the two titans of psychotherapy, Sigmund
Freud and Carl Jung.

The story line presented by the film details the turbulent years when ‘the
talking cure’ for emotional issues went from theory to gaining a foothold in
professional acceptance. When you infuse the production with inappropriate
sexual behavior between a doctor and his pretty young patient there is going to
be interest not usually depicted on the Biography or History Channels. The
antagonism between the two men boils down to the sexually obsessed Freud and the
ethically challenged Jung. These form the dominant threads in a complex tapestry
of sexual dysfunction and a world teetering on the verge of the most significant
set of social change ever seen up to that point in history.

Cronenberg effortlessly steps out of his horror genre comfort zone with a
gripping account of a pivotal moment in history. The treatment of emotional and
psychological disorders were about to be pulled from the quagmire of
superstition and formalized into an accredited branch of the medical
professional community. Spielrein who also make a major strike against gender
discrimination of the professional misogyny that has kept brilliant women in the
shadow of their male peers for generations. This is an unusual movie but one
that deserves attention and appreciation.